Quotes About Managing Anxiety to Help Comfort You Through Tough Days (Part 2)

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For those who are facing generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), getting through a challenging bout of symptoms can feel impossible. Even those who work with therapists on effective ways to work through anxious thoughts face days where they feel obstacles are insurmountable. In these dark moments, you (or a loved one who cares for you) may reach for a bit of motivation to accept the challenges ahead of you — and to find the energy to try again tomorrow.

It's true that everyone faces their own adversity in life. But those with mental health conditions may be surprised to hear that some of the most celebrated individuals in history have faced anxious tendencies, too. A fair share of the world's leaders, cultural trailblazers, prolific writers and celebrated performers have opened up about their journey in facing rumination, anticipation and dread that plagues those suffering from anxiety. And they've owned up to the fact that anxiety can definitely cause your life to seemingly unravel at a moment's notice.

But all of them have also revealed the tenacity they've summoned to push past these roadblocks. It takes a certain amount of insight to push past negative thoughts and emotions, to put life into perspective – and this collection of inspiring quotes about anxiety may help you do that, or at the very least, give you a sense of comfort. 

Powerful quotes about anxiety:

1. "The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but on significance — and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning." — Oprah Winfrey
2. “Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.” – Deepak Chopra
3. "Anxiety is something that is part of me but it’s not who I am." – Emma Stone
4. "I would tell my younger self that there’s no shame in asking a teacher for help, telling a friend that you’re uncomfortable, and that [anxiety issues] is just the same as falling down and scraping your knee." — Lena Dunham
5. "It’s crazy how your mind will become this database to make you worry about things that are so arbitrary. I have a well-organized life, and I’ve put a lot of thought into the things that I do, and then, you know, my stomach will be... I’ll just be sitting there, totally anxious about something ridiculous. You have to stop yourself during the day and say, ‘It’s just not worth it.’" – Leonardo DiCaprio
6. "I’ve suffered through depression and anxiety my entire life, I still suffer with it every single day… I just want these kids to know that that depth that they feel as human beings is normal. We were born that way." – Lady Gaga
7. “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
8. “Why should we worry about what others think of us, do we have more confidence in their opinions than we do our own?” – Brigham Young
9. "How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you." – Rupi Kaur
10. "Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest taken between two deep breaths.” — Etty Hillesum
11. "Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight." — Benjamin Franklin
12. "Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. The best is yet to come." – Zig Ziglar
13. "Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else." – Margaret Mead
14. "Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you." – Anne Lamott
15. "Surrender to what is, let go of what was, and have faith in what will be." – Sonia Ricotti
16. "The life in front of you is far more important than the life behind you." — Joel Osteen
17. "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." – Maya Angelou
18. “If you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you’ll die a lot of times.” – Dean Smith
19. "There are these moments you think you won't survive. And then you survive." — David Levithan
20. "Choose to be optimistic. It feels better." — Dalai Lama
21. "Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.” — Henry Ward Beecher
22. "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." — Robert Louis Stevenson
23. “The more you adapt, the more interesting you are.” – Martha Stewart
24. "You can have it all. You just can’t have it all at once." — Oprah Winfrey
25. "Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out." – John Wooden